The Birthday Now, the Future Tomorrow
by bretticus1218
Summary: Grantaire has noticed his life change so much ever since he got the guy, ever since Enjolras became his. But he still harbours fears of being alone, fears his friends have noticed. And when he asks for a small party on his birthday, they don't completely oblige


His friends had been surprised when he'd asked for a small party but they obliged. It wasn't like Grantaire to want anything other than the loudest, wildest party ever, and if his friends hadn't seen the words "small party" come out of his mouth, they probably wouldn't have believed it. Jehan had even asked him if he was feeling okay, but Grantaire had shrugged him off. He was fine. In fact, he was more than fine, he was great. Wonderful, even. Enjolras had always had that effect on him. Ever since they had officially become a couple, since that kiss on New Years Eve, Grantaire's life had just been going up. He didn't like to think about the time when he had thought it hopeless, when he drowned his sorrows at parties, in faceless girls every night, in alcohol all the damn time. And when he went out to a club with Bahorel or drinking with Joly after classes were over, he felt lost again Those were the times when he walked the winding Parasian streets to Enjolras' small apartment and picked the lock to get in. He'd sit on the couch, sometimes turning on the TV, sometimes just listening to the hammering and drilling of the renovation of the apartment above his boyfriend's, waiting for him to get home. When Enjolras finally did get in, he was never surprised to see Grantaire. He'd just walk over to the kitchen and make tea. He'd climb over the back of the couch and hold Grantaire, sometimes for hours, sometimes in silence, sometimes he'd just tell him about his classes that day. After a while, Grantaire would feel better, less detached, and start replying to the questions, remembering that this was now. He wasn't alone anymore. And he didn't have to be. Not as long as Enjolras was there.

Grantaire turned his coat collar up against the sharp winter wind as he crossed the street to Marius' apartment building. His apartment was the only one big enough to host a party. Jehan had offered his and Courfeyrac's rooms but everyone had shouted them down, knowing that the small space was only a little more than a pigsty. Grantaire smiled at the memory and jumped the steps to the front door of the large clean building that Marius and Cosette called home. He rang the buzzer twice, stamping his feet because of the cold. No one answered and he groaned. Not to be a child, but it was his birthday and he was stuck in the cold. That was definitely not ideal. He pulled out his phone and dialled Marius, watching his breath evaporate as the phone rang in his ear.

"Hello?"

Grantaire was surprised. "Eponine?"

"Taire!" She cried, sounding delighted. "Finally, we were wondering when you'd call!"

"Can you get Marius to let me in?" he asked, shuffling around the small doorway to stay warm. "It's freezing."

"No way." She said cheerfully. "You're not getting away that easily. 'A small party' come on, Taire, you know us. We've planned a little something extra.

"Where are you?" he asked, confused, starting to get agitated. He was _not_ a fan of surprises.

"Not at Marius'," She told him. "We have one clue, and if you make it here, you'll find the party and your birthday present."

"Dammit Eponine!" He swore. "It's freezing, come on!"

"Here's Enjolras," She said, ignoring him. "Good luck!"

"R?" He heard Enjolras' calm voice on the other line and felt his heart skip a beat. Even after all this time, that beautiful voice still made him happy, still caught him off guard.

"Yeah?" He asked, trying to snap back to the present.

"Okay, so if you follow this clue to the party you'll find your present here from all of us, which if I say so myself, is marvelous. It will change your life."

"Okay, if you say so," Grantaire said, somewhat sarcastically. His friends had a habit of exaggeration. "Please tell me you and Ponine aren't working me up for a blender or a pair of slippers or anything."

"No, it's much better. And we all chipped in. So at least _pretend_ you like it for a moment, kay?"

"Okay, I will." Grantaire started walking down the street to stay warm, not knowing or caring where he was going. "Give me the clue, okay, I'm freezing."

"A place where you feel safe." The voice on the other line said.

"What?!" Grantaire was incredulous. "That could be a million and one places!"

"It'll come to you," Enjolras said calmly. "Just think, R. And when you know it, come and find us. We'll wait as long as you need."

"This is ridiculous," Grantaire grumbled.

"Be here soon." He could hear the smile in Enjolras' voice, then the soft beep as he hung up the phone. Grantaire groaned and slipped his phone into his pocket. This was crazy. His friends were utter morons, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. This was so them, "a place where he felt safe," what the hell was that supposed to mean? He stamped his feet to keep the feeling in them and it started to dawn on him. He grinned on his heel to start walking in the opposite direction; to Enjolras' house. This whole thing was absurd, but then again, his friends always were.

When Grantaire was done climbing the stairs to Enjolras' apartment and getting the feeling back into his hands from the vents in the stairwell, he found nothing but a giant red arrow taped on a piece of paper to the door. He followed it down the hall, where he found another one, pointed even further down the hall. Looking up he realized there were even more; all pointing to the stairs on the other side of the long hallway. He followed them and opened the door to the stairwell, his curiosity building. What was going on? He saw the arrows continued in the stairwell, pointing up and not down, to the roomy basement, the _warm_ basement. He sighed and began to climb up the stairs. To his surprised, the arrows did not continue up all the way, to the rooftop where they'd all hung out so many summer nights, but pointed him out of the stairwell and onto the floor above the floor Enjolras lived on. Now he was really intrigued. He continued down the hall to where the arrows ended; the apartment directly above Enjolras'. He knocked hard on the door, shaking his head to himself. Trust his friends to choose the empty, dark apartment instead of Enjolras' nice, warm one, just because this one was bigger. His brain was still whirling with thoughts when the door swung open, and he blinked in the sudden light.

"SURPRISE!" A crowd of people shouted from inside the warmly lit space. Grantaire's eyes adjusted and for the first time in his life he had no words for surprise. The apartment; it wasn't dark and dirty as he'd expected, but full of light and laughter. It looked exactly like Enjolras' apartment, with the same couch, the same-hold on, wait. Those _were_ Enjolras' things! Was he moving up here? What was going on?

"Wait, wait, wait." Grantaire said, holding up his hands, getting everyone to pay attention. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" He spotted a familiar blonde head making it's way through Combeferre and Joly. "Enjolras! You! What is happening? Are you moving up here?"

"Well," Enjolras said, grinning widely, the tips of his cheekbones tinted red from a creeping blush. Looking around, Grantaire saw that everyone was grinning like maniacs. "Kind of. I am. And...you are. If you want to."

Grantaire thought he had heard wrong. "What?"

"I know it might be strange and a little crazy, but," Enjolras shrugged. "All my life I've been proper and law-abiding, but you make me crazy, R. I don't like it when you're not around. And I don't like it when you get the way you do and have to come so far across the city to feel safe. You should live in a place where you feel safe all the time. And I hope...I hope I can help with that."

Grantaire felt dizzy from all the emotion running through his brain. His face was burning, he could feel that, but other than the mad blush on his cheeks, he didn't know what to feel. He felt like he wanted to grab Enjolras and never let him go, he felt like he wanted to cry, he felt like he never wanted to leave this moment ever. And he knew those feelings weren't rational, but he didn't feel rational when the marble man was around. His marble man. His Enjolras.

Grantaire settled all his feeling by pulling his boyfriend into a passionate kiss while all their friends cheered and whistled. Enjolras looked wildly embarrassed by the time they broke apart but grinning ear to ear. And Grantaire matched his smile for everything it was worth.

Everything happened very quickly after that, Eponine coming and mussing his hair, taking his coat and crowing "I told you, you'd love it!" with Jehan handing him a cup of beer, Combeferre turning on the music, everyone going back to talking and laughing. Grantaire sat on his favourite couch, Enjolras' couch to take it all in. He was so happy, he felt like he was going to explode, like it wasn't allowed for a person to be this happy. He was so lost in his own emotion that he didn't notice a familiar face sit next to him, until Enjolras nudged him and smiled.

"What do you think?"

"I think..." Grantaire swallowed hard, trying to get the words out and not tear up. "I think it's perfect. I think this is the best present I've ever gotten."

Enjolras sighed with contentment. "I'm so glad."

Grantaire grinned at him. "You read me like a book."  
"It's because I'm in love with you and that's what I do." Enjolras said matter-of-factly. "You are my everything, R, you know that, right? The rest of the world, it...it doesn't matter to me when you're around, I just want this to last. I don't want to move to fast for you, but you know how I feel. If I could sweep all the stars out of the sky and throw them in your lap to show you that you'll never be alone I would." His blue eyes pierced Grantaire's brown ones as he took his hand. "I would do anything for you, R."

Grantaire leaned in so that their foreheads were touching, so that they could be in their own world. "I don't need all the stars in the sky," He said softly. "Just you. Always you. Only you."

"I love you, R."

"Love you too."

Enjolras grinned, their heads still bent together. "Happy birthday."

And when the blonde god amongst men kissed the once hopeless drunk, Grantaire felt his heart leap in his chest, and not just because the most beautiful, the most wonderful, the most perfect man in the world was right here with him, but because he wasn't going anywhere. The past was past. The now was now. And Enjolras was very now. What's more, Grantaire thought, as his lips pressed against the man's he loved, as their breath mingled, he didn't have to be just now, he didn't have to just be the present. Enjolras could be Grantaire's future. And there was nothing he could have wanted more for a birthday present.


End file.
